Same school, separate worlds: A sociocultural study of identity resistance, and negotiation in a rural, lower track science classroom

This ethnographic study examined how rural lower track. underrepresented st udents made sense of their place in school and what role school science pla yed in their cultural reproduction. The objectives of the study were to ide ntify kev components of science classroom discourse, analyze means of negot iating these components, and explicate participants' beliefs and roles in d efining microcultural identities specific to rural, underrepresented school contests. Eight students and their teacher participated in this study, whi ch drew heavily upon teacher and student revoicing of common events. Result s showed that the quality of science instruction was subverted through a pr ocess of negotiation between students and teachers in the context of low ex pectations and the school culture. implications for research and practice a re discussed. (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.